Blue Star plans to phase out its remote-controlled airconditioners by 2018 and replace them with wi-fi enabled smart ACs that can be operated via smartphones apps.
"By 2018, all of our airconditioners would be wi-fi ready. Remote would be optional only," Blue Star Executive Director and President, AC and Refrigeration Products, B Thiagarajan told reporters here.
The company has five wi-fi-ready ACs in its portfolio. He said the wi-fi-ready technology for ACs will become more affordable in the near future as prices of the application will drop fast.
"Today the wi-fi application costs around Rs 2,000, which should drop by 25% next year and another 50% in the subsequent year," Thiagarajan added. Blue Star on Thursday unveiled a range of 135 models for this season.
It is expecting to sell around four lakh units in the residential and commercial splits segment and aims to have at least 12% share in the market with 25% growth in 2016. This year the company will focus on north India market, which contributes around 35% of the total sales.
"Around 5 lakh units are sold alone in the NCR region," said Blue Star Vice President Sales & Marketing C Haridas.
The company is planning to open first Blue Star Platinum store in Delhi with an investment of Rs 1.5 crore and by 2018, it would open the center in all major cities. At present, 65 per of the company's sales come from tier II, III & IV places and rest 35% from top eight tier I cities.
Blue Star, which recently forayed in the aircooler segment aiming to have at least 10% of the Rs 1,800 crore branded market in next couple of year by extending its portfolio, Thiagarajan said. Besides, Blue Star is also looking for a good growth from its commercial refrigeration business under which it sells products as water-cooler and deep freezer etc.
"In the commercial refrigeration we are the largest player in the country and we do Rs 600 crore business from that," he said factors as increased consumption of ice cream and sectors as pharma, fast food chains are taking the segment forward.
The company is also expanding range of its bottled water dispensers and is improving aesthetics of its industrial water cooler units. Both of them contributes around Rs 200 crore. He further added: "Health care segment has also become very attractive for Blue Star and in the coming year it should grow. Besides, government has allowed 100% FDI in multi-brand processed food retailing and it would help in growth of freezers."
